The Cyberspace Experience

I do not remember exactly how old I was the first time I used the internet, but I do remember the exact moment. I would guess I was probably seven or eight years old. By this time I was very comfortable with a desktop computer. I had been playing computer games for the past couple of years. Then one day I was wandering around my house looking for something to do when I noticed the computer room was empty. Upon starting up the computer, my mind did not jump to play a computer game. I have always been an avid sports fan, and I wanted to see what was going on in the sports world. So, for the first time, I clicked the internet icon and typed in ESPN.com. I arrived on a page filled with sports content. I scanned the page and looked for what could peak my interest. I saw an article with a picture of my favorite athlete Tom Brady. My younger mind was not too interested in the article itself, but I got to see all these great pictures and statistics I never even knew about. I had to spend at least two hours just in awe of what I had just discovered. I got lost in all the NFL related news. I vividly remember calling my father into the computer room to show him that I was on ESPN.com. I also remember voting in a poll on the website which I thought was so awesome. From this point on my internet use became more and more frequent which leads me to today when the internet is a huge part of my day to day life.

A positive social media event was Buffalo Bills fans donating to Andy Dalton’s charity. After the Bills clinched a playoff spot with the help of a Dalton touchdown pass, Bills fans raised over $100,000 for Dalton’s charity that helps ill or physically challenged children. The word was spread on Twitter to donate to the charity to thank Dalton for his part in breaking the Bills playoff drought. This event showed the positive impact social media could have.

Social media has changed dramatically since I first used it. Social media has far more people using it and more websites available. Social media has become nearly a necessity for most of the world today. I do not feel social media is intrusive, but I can understand if people feel it is. I try not to take social media too seriously and not use it too much. Each person can use social media as they want but each person has a responsibility to control what they post.    

I see social media continuing to grow in the future. Twitter is becoming the platform to find any content that you want. Social media will take an even bigger role as time goes on and will become a central place for everyone in the world to communicate. I see social media heading down a positive path.